2021 Hong Kong Cup betting guide

Racing Online - 2021 Hong Kong Cup betting guide

Hong Kong Cup

The Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) is one of the world’s most lucrative racedays and the last true international meet of the calendar year. One of the top prizes on offer is the Hong Kong Cup, which is one of four Group 1 races on the day along with the Hong Kong Mile, Hong Kong Vase and Hong Kong Sprint.

Date December 12, 2021
Venue Hong Kong Jockey Club, Sha Tin Racecourse
Distance 2000 metres
Prize Money HK$30,000,000 (US$3,859,000)
First Running 1988
2020 Winner NORMCORE (JPN)

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2020 Hong Kong Cup results

Result Horse Trainer Barrier Jockey Weight
1st NORMCORE (JPN) Kiyoshi Hagiwara 3 Zac Purton 8-10
2nd WIN BRIGHT(JPN) Matt Cumani 8 Masami Matsuoka 9-0
3rd MAGICAL(IRE) A P O’Brien 1 Ryan Moore 8-10
4th DANON PREMIUM(JPN) Mitsumasa Nakauchida 6 William Buick 9-0

Hong Kong Cup history

The Hong Kong Cup (HKC) is one of the four Hong Kong International Races and sits as the richest 2000 metre race in the world, boasting a prize pool of HK$30,000,000.

The first running of HKC was in 1988 and was originally run in January with it only being open to horse trained in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia and was run at the 1800 metre mark. The next year they opened registrations up to horse trained in Australia and New Zealand. The following years they then opened it up to Europe (1990), United States (1991), Canada (1991) and Japan (1992) and bumped the distance to 2000 metres in 1999 making this not only the richest however one of the highest regarded 2000 metre horse races in the world.

Names such as Jim And Tonic, Fantastic Light, Designs On Rome and 2015 winner A Shin Hikari have graced the Cup in recent history and since 1990 it has become a race open to horses all over the world. Come 1992, horses from the United States, Canada and Japan were allowed to run in the Hong Kong Cup, and that has stood the test of time.


Hong Kong Cup records

  • Fastest time: Normcore – 2:00.50
  • Most wins: California Memory (2011, 2012)
  • Most wins by a jockey: Frankie Detorri – Fantastic Light (2000), Falbrav (2003), Ramonti (2007)
  • Most wins by a trainer: Anthony S. Cruz – California Memory (2011, 2012), Time Warp (2017)
  • Most wins by an owner:
    • Godolphin – Fantastic Light (2000), Ramonti (2007)
    • Howard Liang Yum Shing – California Memory (2011, 2012)


Previous Hong Kong Cup results

Year Horse Trainer Jockey
2020 Normcore (JPN) Kiyoshi Hagiwara Zac Purton
2019 Win Bright (JPN) Yoshihiro Hatakeyama Masami Matsuoka
2018 Glorious Forever Frankie Lor Silvestre de Sousa
2017 Time Warp Anthony S. Cruz Zac Purton
2016 Maurice (JPN) Noriyuki Hori Ryan Moore
2015 A Shin Hikari (JPN) Masanori Sakaguchi Yutaka Take
2014 Designs On Rome John Moore João Moreira
2013 Akeed Mofeed Richard Gibson Douglas Whyte
2012 California Memory Anthony S. Cruz Matthew Chadwick
2011 California Memory Anthony S. Cruz Matthew Chadwick
2010 Snow Fairy (UK) Ed Dunlop Ryan Moore
2009 Vision d’Etat (FR) Eric Libaud Olivier Peslier
2008 Eagle Mountain (SA) Mike de Kock Kevin Shea
2007 Ramonti (UAE) Saeed bin Suroor Frankie Dettori
2006 Pride (FR) Alain de Royer-Dupré Christophe Lemaire
2005 Vengeance of Rain Saeed bin Suroor Anthony Delpech
2004 Alexander Goldrun (IRE) Jim Bolger Kevin Manning
2003 Falbrav (UK) Luca Cumani Frankie Dettori
2002 Precision David Oughton Michael Kinane
2001 Agnes Digital (JPN) Toshiaki Shirai Hirofumi Shii
2000 Fantastic Light (UAE) Saeed bin Suroor Frankie Dettori
1999 Jim and Tonic (FR) François Doumen Gérald Mossé

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